1982 United States Senate election in New Mexico
The 1982 United States Senate election in New Mexico took place on November 3, 1982. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Harrison Schmitt was running for re-election to a second term, but lost to Democrat Jeff Bingaman.
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 County results Bingaman: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Schmitt: 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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Background
Schmitt was seen as the weakest Republican Senator up for election.[1]
Major candidates
Democratic
Republican
- Harrison Schmitt, incumbent U.S. Senator first elected in 1976 and former astronaut
Campaign
Bingaman ran advertisements that criticized Schmitt's views on a minimum Social Security and mining on federally protected land.[2] Schmitt countered these ads by criticizing Bingaman's work as attorney general, citing the handling of the 1980 state prison riot and asking the governor to pardon an inmate that was on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted List.[2] Another ad that Bingaman ran asked, "What on Earth has he done for you lately?"[3]
The two negative ads that Schmitt ran were received poorly and later pulled.[1]
Results
The turnout was approximately 70%.[1]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jeff Bingaman | 217,682 | 53.77% | +11.07% | |
| Republican | Harrison Schmitt (incumbent) | 187,128 | 46.23% | -10.59% | |
| Majority | 30,554 | 7.55% | -6.57% | ||
| Turnout | 404,810 | ||||
| Democratic gain from Republican | Swing | ||||
Aftermath
Schmitt thought the media was biased against him during the campaign.[2]
See also
- United States Senate elections, 1982 and 1983
References
- Reinhold, Robert (November 3, 1982). "Schmitt Loses New Mexico Senate Seat". New York Times. p. A23. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
- "Schmitt prepares to leave office". Manitowoc Herald-Times. Manitowoc, Wisconsin. Associated Press. November 29, 1982. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
- "The Astronauts Who Went to the Moon - The 40th Anniversary of the Moon Landing - TIME". TIME.com. July 16, 2009.
- http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/1982election.pdf